Bring My Baby Tonight
by bjames238
Summary: It's Christmas Eve just before midnight. The kids are asleep upstairs while Peyton is downstairs. Lucas said he'd be home from his book tour before Christmas but he's not home yet. Will he make it home before the clock strikes midnight? Leyton


Bring My Baby Tonight

It's Christmas Eve a few hours before midnight. The kids are asleep upstairs while Peyton is downstairs. Lucas said he'd be home from his book tour before Christmas but he's not home from his book tour yet. Will he make it home before the clock strikes midnight? Fic is loosely based on the song "Hey Santa" by The Wilsons. Lucas/Peyton with mention of Nathan/Haley.

~*~

"Okay kids, its time to go to sleep now," Peyton Scott sighed as the twins bounced their way upstairs.

"Momma tomorrow's _Christmas_!" 3 ½-year-old Julia Penelope Scott followed her twin brother Jack Alan up the stairs with their mother close behind them.

"Yeah so you better go to sleep so Santa can bring your presents!" Peyton reminded her.

"When's Daddy coming home?" Jack pouted.

"Soon, baby . . . soon," Peyton tried to assure them. _Hopefully,_ she thought to herself, "Now move your goofy buts up the stairs."

"Christmas, Christmas, Christmas . . .!" The twins, as usual, chanted loudly in unison—and it continued all the way up the stairs and into their bedrooms.

~*~

Finally almost two hours later Peyton trudged back down the stairs with an armload of unwrapped Christmas presents. Being as it was a quarter to 11, there wasn't much time before Santa was scheduled to make his annual visit. But . . . since Santa didn't exist it was up to her to wrap the twins' presents and make the cookies and milk disappear.

Just as she stepped off the last step, the phone rang. She hurried to answer it before the twins woke up.

"Hello?"

"Peyton? It's Haley."

"Yeah," Peyton answered, "What's up?"

"I was just checking in. Nathan and I are wrapping Jamie and Jimmy's presents and we just thought we'd see how you're doing," Haley said.

"I'm fine, Haley," Peyton sighed.

"Good . . . How are the twins?" Haley asked.

"They're asleep. I was just about to do some wrapping myself," Peyton set the bag of toys down.

"Oh. And Lucas still isn't home, huh?"

"Unfortunately not. But I know he'll be home as soon as he can."

"Yeah," Haley didn't sound impressed, "Didn't he say he'd be home for Christmas?"

"He did, didn't he? But I know this book tour is really important to him . . ." Peyton could feel the tears welling in her eyes.

"But what? It's Christmas. He should be with his family," Haley said, "Besides . . . especially since you've never had the kids by yourself since they were born. What with all those complications . . ."  
"Haley, I really can't do this right now, okay? I have presents to wrap . . . and I need to stay strong for Julia and Jack. They're too young to know what's going on." She was trying to fight the tears . . . but it wasn't working too well.

"Peyton--" But Haley was cut by a voice in the background.

"Babe, give me the phone," It was Nathan. "Haley give me the phone so I can talk to my sister-in-law," There was a few moments of silence before she could hear Haley sigh. "Peyton?"

"Nathan," Peyton said.

"Don't even try to mask what you're really feeling by being all stoic. It's crap, Peyton, and you know it. You're scared because you've never been alone with the kids before for this long or for this time of year and Lucas isn't home when he said he would be. It's okay. You don't have to do this by yourself. That's what we're here for." That was Nathan. He always knew what to say. Except when the two of them were dating so long ago. . .

"He's right." Haley agreed in the background.

"I know . . . but you guys aren't over here with a bundle of toys that need wrapping and no husband to help you," Peyton said.

"Have you tried calling him?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah . . . but the line's been busy all day," Peyton sniffled, trying to keep quiet so as not to wake the kids.

"We could come over," Nathan suggested, "You don't have to be alone."

"That's sweet, Nathan . . . but it's Christmas Eve. Both your and my kids expect to wake up tomorrow in their own bed and open presents with their mommies and daddies," Peyton was losing her resolve.

"Very true," Nathan sighed.

"I'll be fine," Peyton said, "Honest. I'm a big girl now . . . and I'll be fine. I can do this."

"You're just saying that," Nathan observed.

"Yes . . . but I need to do this. For me, for Lucas . . . and for Jack and Julia." Peyton told him, "Listen Nathan . . . I should go. I have gifts to wrap and I'm sure you two still have some too. I'll see you guys tomorrow night for our yearly Christmas dinner with Brooke and everyone else."

"Whatever you say, Sawyer," Nathan sighed.

"You know, I am a Scott now too," Peyton reminded him.

"I know. But you're still a Sawyer too," Nathan said. "Just make sure you get some sleep tonight. If Lucas really isn't going to be there tomorrow morning you're going to need all the strength you can get."

"Yeah . . . my twins always get really excited on Christmas," Peyton could rember the last three Chistmases.

"Yes they do," Nathan said, "Merry Christmas, Sawyer. Rest up. Relax. We'll see you tomorrow. Haley says bye and Merry Christmas . . . and Jamie and Jimmy are really excited to see their favorite aunt and cousins."

"Yep," Peyton said, "Bye."

The line clicked and Peyton set the phone down. She glanced over at the clock. 11:37 P.M. 23 minutes to Christmas . . . and still now Lucas.

She took a deep breath and picked up the unwrapped gifts. She guessed she should get these wrapped so she could get some sleep before the twins come bouncing on the bed demanding their presents.

~*~

"Damn it, Lindsay . . . tomorrow's Christmas!" Lucas shouted into his cell phone in the lobby of the airport, his bags on his shoulders.

"I know!" Lindsay said, "This is always the busiest time of the year! You know that."

"We've been through this before," Lucas sighed, "I have a family who expect me to be there in the morning to open presents."

"They'll survive," Lindsay said, "I thought this book was important to you, Lucas!"

"It is!" Lucas shouted, "It is. It always has been. But my family comes first. Plus Peyton's been under enough stress in the last few years and I don't want to leave her alone for very long."

"Lucas . . ." Lindsay sighed

"I'll be back in a couple of weeks," Lucas said and hung up. He took a deep breath. "Tree Hill . . . here I come."

~  
~*~

Peyton finished wrapping the last of the gifts and set it under the tree. There . . . all done. She glanced at the clock. 11:54 P.M. Six more minutes to Christmas Day. The presents were wrapped, the milk glass was empty . . . all that was left to do was eat the cookies. That was always Lucas' favorite part.

She sat down on the recliner and leaned back, sighing. Her hand reached just under the hem of her shirt and traced over the scar she'd had ever since the twins were born. She'd had a horrible pregnancy with more complications than she could count on her two hands. It had all began even before she knew she was expecting, not long after Lucas and she had gotten engaged, when she'd collapsed at her office in horrifying pain the night of that horrible thunderstorm. The next nine months were hard—for both of them—and the two years following the twin's birth weren't any easier. Things had slowed down lately and she'd actually felt human the last few months . . . but this was the first time in those four years that Lucas had gone away without her. It was her first time alone with the twins.

It was dark in the room save for the Christmas tree lights. The glowing reds, blues, greens, silvers, golds, and whites of the tree washed over her face in a warm glow. On top of the tree the angel—of course they would have an angel watching over them—blinked it's golden yellow light. The ornaments Lucas and Peyton had collected, inherited, found, or bought over the past few years glistened in the light. They were simple little things . . . bulbs, figurines, bows, small picture frames . . . just little artificial things that didn't cost a lot of money. However to Peyton and Lucas they were much more than that. The ornaments were a symbol of the life Lucas and Peyton were beginning to build with themselves and their children. They were a life that had and would continue forever . . . another part of the Scott legacy along with Nathan, Haley,and their sons. It was a tradition that Lucas had begun as a child with his mom and uncle . . . and one that was cut short for Peyton at eight years old when her mother died and her father ceased to be around—but retrieved now in adulthood.

So with everything done, Peyton decided to just sit back and enjoy it for a few moments. She let the glow from the tree and the lights strung around the house wash over her. She sniffed the air and breathed in the sweet smell of cinnamon and the fresh pine tree. She felt so at home.

If only Lucas were there. Then she would feel even more at ho--

"Hi wifey," a deep, loving voice whispered in her ear. She smiled as she felt his hot breath on her neck. "Merry Christmas."

She turned around and hugged him tight, whispering, "You're home."

"That I am," Lucas kissed the top of his head. They both looked at the clock. 11:58 P.M. "And look at that. I made it before Christmas."

She giggled happily. "You're home."

"Yes," Lucas held her tight, "And I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I love you."

"I love you too . . ." Peyton felt so safe here, in this moment, with him holding her her. It certainly was a very merry Christmas. Maybe Santa existed after all . . . "And I left the cookies for you . . ." He smiled.

~fin~

P.S.: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


End file.
